Ethics

Considering that there is indeed no objective morality it is concievable that circumstances exist in which one should circumvent to mores of his society and perform an action not sanctioned by his culture in which the end will justify the means.

Stealing medicince that one cannot afford to save a life, for example, is one of those situations. Helping slaves escape to the North during the Era of Slavery comes to mind. Such actions are or were illegal, but are they wrong?

On the other hand, take the use of Nuclear Force against Japan at the end of WWII. Was it absolutley nessesary to win the war. No. Did it save thousands upon thousands of American lives. Yes. Are American soldiers lives worth more than those of Japanese civilians? It probably depends on whether or not you were slated to be a member of the U.S. invasion force as to whether or not the use of the A-Bomb was a cut and dry matter. An easy decision.



Yes, I support the tactics of the Sea Shepherd.

The Sea Shepherds are not saying that the lives of the whales are more important than the fisherman/whalers. What they are saying is that the whalers do not have to right to systematically destroy what is considered a treasure of the Earth. The Whales. Whether intentional or incidental the removal of species that belong to the citizens of the world cannot be jeopardized by the short term needs or mores of the few. Especially if it is inessential to survival.

Additionally, if whaling was part of an ancient culture, that is respectable and said culture may not be the ones' responsible for brining about the need to protect these species at all cost. Nevertheless, that ancient culture, no matter how old the culture and how sacred the act of whaling, must face up to the demands of modern times and accept that a global community does not allow such actions to currenlty take place.

Cultures once practiced human sacrifice. That was the more of the time and place. It was acceptable then, but nowadays under NO circumstances would such a rationalization be accepted by any outside party as a legitimate reason to continue such practices.

Not to mention the possible effects of the loss of certian Keystone species on the balance of an entire ecosystem. The groups that drive various species to extinction generally do not have a firm grasp of such a subject. As such, organizations like the Sea Shepards then obtain jurisdiction to move in and defend the interests of more educated human society in the interest of preserving the planet and any delicate life systems in place.